Cool Bihari: Cycle Rickshaw Project-Samman

It great to see the innovative efforts of Irfan Alam who has come up with unique idea of rickshaws with seat belt, first aid kit, lilting music, insurance cover for driver and passenger and much more.

Social Innovation of this type gives just us the idea about the untapped potential which exists in Bihar.Irfan's effort not only gives this age old profession a new face but also brings lot of respect to the profession. It symbolizes the changing face of Bihar where every individual is given its due place in society as we are rising above the social stigmas of caste and creed in our journey to create a socially equitable state.

Nearly 100 such cycle rickshaws are seen traversing the city roads, after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the ‘Cycle Rickshaw project – Samman’ from Sheikhpura House in Patna.

The innovative project, conceived by Irfan Alam, a 25-year-old youth from Begusarai, who wore the Zee TV’s ‘Business Baazigar’ crown, is being supported by the State Government.An MBA from Pondicherry, having done his management development programme from IIM-A, Irfan met Nitish when the latter visited the institute last November.

Irfan, who is the founder and director of Samman Foundation, a New Delhi-based NGO, wants to take the environment-friendly cycle rickshaw to the luxury lane by providing facilities like soft drink, mineral water, newspaper and first aid in a rickshaw. The project, given the go-ahead even by Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, is working fine in the New Capital Region (NCR). Irfan is very passionate about his project. "We were in touch with IIT (Delhi & Guwahati), the National Innovative Foundation (Ahmedabad) and the Nimbkar Agriculture Research Institute (Phaltan, Maharashtra) to develop a new prototype of cycle-rickshaw, which could be converted into a modern mode of transport.

The project not only aims at making life better for rickshaw pullers, but also making rickshaw a marketing engine and to convert a pathetic travel into joy ride.